Opposition mayoral candidate in Poti Ugulava accuses gov’t of hampering his election registration
Gigi Ugulava has been nominated for Poti mayor by four opposition parties. Photo: Gigi Ugulava’s Facebook page.
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The candidate for Poti mayor, former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, says that the country’s Interior Ministry has not given him a document necessary to register for the race, which confirms that he is not a convicted felon for sexual or narcotics crimes.
Ugulava’s candidacy has been put forward by four opposition parties.
Ugulava says that if he will not receive the document soon enough, he may be late to register in the elections.
This is a deliberate campaign against me,” Ugulava said.
The ministry says that Ugulava was given an interim document the same day he applied for the document, adding that it needs additional time to collect information because there are ongoing cases in the court involving the politician.
Ugulava claims that the interim document does not say that he will be able to freely register for the elections.
The united opposition, which currently includes the United National Movement (UNM), European Georgia, Droa and Girchi-More Freedom opposition parties, nominated Ugulava for Tbilisi Mayor earlier this month.
Ugulava says that the October 2 municapal elections 'are crucial for ending' the Georgian Dream governance. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
- Ugulava served as Tbilisi mayor between 2005 and 2013.
- He was arrested back in 2014 for embezzling more than four million lari in public funds between 2010 and 2011.
- The prosecution said that the money was used to create 800 fictitious job positions within municipal service Tbilservice Group, through which funds were then funneled to pay the salaries of UNM party activists.
- He was released in 2017 and soon became the secretary general of a newly created European Georgia opposition party.
- In February 2020 Ugulava was sentenced to three years and two months in prison for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL from the Tbilisi Municipal Development Fund while in office.
- However, to prevent political escalation in the country, President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned him and another opposition leader Irakli Okruashvili in May of the same year.
- Ugulava left European Georgia after the 2020 parliamentary elections because of controversies with the head of the party Giga Bokeria on the party’s future.
The united opposition, which currently includes the United National Movement (UNM), European Georgia, Droa and Girchi-More Freedom opposition parties, ‘are very likely’ to nominate former Tbilisi mayor under the UNM Gigi Ugulava for mayor of Poti in western Georgia in the October 2 municipal race, UNM head Nika Melia stated earlier today.
The European Georgia opposition party leader David Bakradze has stated that opposition parties are suspending the dialogue with the ruling Georgia Dream party on 2020 election issue after the sentencing of European Georgia opposition party leader Gigi Ugulava to three years and two months in prison by the Georgian Supreme Court yesterday.
Leader of European Georgia opposition party and ex-Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava has been sentenced to three years and two months in prison by Georgian Supreme Court for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL from Tbilisi Municipal Development fund while in office. In February 2018 the Tbilisi Court of Appeals also sentenced Ugulava to one year and three months to prison in the case. However, the sentence was absorbed by another sentence Ugulava faced.
Former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava was charged with physical assault after an incident involving athletes at Tbilisi International Airport yesterday.
The Georgian Public Defender’s Office says that ‘62 employees were subjected to various forms of pressure’ and dozens were dismissed on political grounds ahead of the October 2 municipal elections.
The united opposition candidate for Poti mayor, former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, has received a document from the Georgian Interior Ministry allowing him to register for the upcoming October 2 municipal race. He stated two days ago that he could not get a document confirming that he is not a convicted sexual or narcotics felon from the ministry and noted that it was a ‘deliberate campaign’ against him.
The election banner of the united opposition’s joint candidate for Poti mayor, former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, has been damaged in Poti, Ugulava announced on Facebook. He stated that surveillance cameras are nearby and urged the country’s Interior Ministry to look into the issue.